Protect Me From What I Want
by BadBoysAreBest
Summary: No one wins in real life and dreams can't be mistaken for reality. Elena/Stefan, Elena/Damon.


**Protect Me From What I Want**

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**[Maybe we're victims of fate]**

It started out as a playful game, but then it escalated to something far more sinister - something deserving of remorse.

The first time it happened, it didn't mean anything. It wasn't supposed to mean anything. Elena had simply fallen asleep on the sofa in the parlor room after a long study session. Meanwhile Damon studied her as she slept, like he had done countless of times in the past, but this time something had caught his eye. She wasn't wearing her vervain necklace. She wasn't protected.

Fully knowing of the dire consequences of his actions, he still decided to pay her a visit in the dream-verse. By all means, he knew she'd be mad at him, but it wasn't like she could ever stay mad at him for too long. After all, she had always cared for him.

Damon never expected what he had found in her dream. She was dreaming about him. Much to his dismay, it wasn't a particularly naughty dream, in fact it was quite the opposite. It was pure. In the dream, they had been sitting on a bench in the park while she fed the ducks. Damon was simply baffled by the insignificance of the moment and decided at once to manifest as himself. What could have been so wrong about that?

Shortly thereafter Damon realized that Elena was dreaming about spending the day with his human self. It was a bit of a shock to the deepest part of his soul. The entire situation felt out of place, shouldn't Stefan be in his place? He wasn't her boyfriend. Emotion overwhelmed him and she quickly noticed that he was no longer paying attention to her.

"Damon?" She asked concerned. "Is something wrong?"

In her dreams, there were no worries.

"No, of course not." He stammered in reply. "We're… _together_."

Elena gave him a cautious nod before turning back to the hungry ducks. She loved their waddles.

"Elena…"

"Yeah?"

Damon's hand cupped her face and as their eyes met, he enveloped her lips. She was startled at first yet she hadn't moved away from him. She allowed the kiss to happen.

At last, Damon was kissing her the way he had always wanted. Sudden and deep, full of pent up love. Damon smiled, his eyes with sparkles of joy when he had to pull back, realizing his dream self needed to breathe.

When Elena awoke sometime later, she touched her lips remembering the heated kiss. It hadn't been like anything she had ever felt. Her body felt warm just thinking about it. Tingles went straight down to her toes.

"That can't be good for your back." Damon chimed in with a gentle yet mocking tone. He was sitting in the large leather chair with a tumbler of bourbon in his hand, as per usual.

"Damon." She murmured surprised to see him there. She was looking at him with deep curiosity, still unnerved by the feelings invoked in the dream. They had never kissed like that before in real life. Everything she felt was new.

He simply winked before getting up and leaving her alone. She stared at his back in wonder.

* * *

><p>Later in the evening, Elena had curled up in Stefan's bed. She was completely lost in her thoughts.<p>

"Why aren't you wearing your necklace?" Stefan asked from the doorway of the bathroom, walking to their bed to join her.

"Hmm." She replied distracted. "Oh. I must have forgot to put it back on after showering."

Stefan simply nodded, accepting her answer. It was the truth, she hadn't lied to him.

As Elena connected the clasp around her neck, she let out a small gasp of realization. She hadn't been protected at all earlier in the day. Her thoughts were torn, second guessing whether or not Damon would do such a thing to her. There wasn't a simple way to approach him about it, if she did, she would be forced to admit the contents of her dreams. She wouldn't do that. She couldn't do that.

"Uh, hey, woah." Stefan mumbled as his girlfriend attacked him with an assortment of kisses. It was strange considering how docile she had been acting all evening.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked finally after pulling away from her rapid fire.

"Can't I just kiss you?" She teased breathlessly and continued to kiss him with insatiable lust. Her tongue entered his mouth with an unrelenting force of need.

"Mmm." Stefan moaned, easily pulling her on top of him. His hands went under her flimsy nightie to caress her silky soft skin.

Elena's hands raked through his soft, recently washed hair. She loved to consume him. He was hers for the taking. Her pursuit of pleasure would not be stopped.

Stefan's eyes rolled back as she kissed his neck with equal fever. When she bit him roughly, he pulled back in caution. The demon within him wanted to play too. Small tremors of animalistic need surrounded him. When he recaptured her lips, the kiss was long and languid, making her moan in sedation.

Down the other end of the hall, Damon heard everything happening in Stefan's room and he unconsciously crushed his remote in his hands. "Fuck." He cursed looking down at the shards of plastic in his right hand.

The next morning, Stefan came downstairs in a particularly cheerful mood and Damon rolled his eyes in disdain. Once Elena joined them in the kitchen, she acted normal. She had to act normal. Everything was fine, no harm, no foul. Damon's eyes burned into her neck, noticing that she was once again protected from him.

* * *

><p><strong>[With both of us guilty of crime<strong>  
><strong>And both of us sentenced to time]<strong>

It wasn't until the next week that Damon decided to take another tour through her mind. Again and again, Elena seemed to allow his intrusion into her private fantasies. No words were ever spoken about these dreams in the real world. She continued to act as if nothing remarkable had been happening between them.

On this particular morning - some months later, her necklace was once again left carelessly on the soap dish. She had fallen asleep on Stefan's bed while he'd gone on a quick hunting trip.

In her dream, Elena was slightly younger, a freshman going-on sophomore. Damon recognized the setting to be a time before any supernatural mayhem had taken over her existence.

Damon found Elena kicking a can of soda outside of the movie theatre. All of her friends had been inside with dates, but her date had never showed. She'd been stood up. She was positively miserable. Feeling depressed, she sat down on the curb and cried a little. She couldn't even leave the theatre, since Bonnie's grandmother had driven them there.

Damon steadied his initial nerves and entered her dream. This time it would be more risky. She would remember this dream. She would know for sure that it was _him_ and not her own fantasy. Regardless, Damon proceeded and took a seat next to her on the curb. She looked up, baffled by his bright blue eyes and handsome face. He had a charming expression.

"I'm sorry." She apologized wiping her stray tears away. "Do I know you?"

Easily Damon warmed himself into her heart. Things were always _easy_ in dreams, that's why they're called dreams in the first place. Not too long later, he offered to join her for a movie. Naive and needy, Elena agreed instantly.

In the darkness of the theatre, Damon sat her on his lap and she giggled playfully. His arms went around her waist. She caressed him in wonder. "You must be so strong…" She swooned in admiration.

"Mmm Hmm." He cooed in reply. "You know I'll always protect you right?"

"You will?" She whispered in amazement.

"I promise." He said placing the softest, gentlest kiss on her temple.

Elena blushed deeply before turning slightly in his lap. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly.

Damon smiled and eagerly returned the kiss. He remained equally sweet. Within moments, they were full on making out in the back of the theatre, shielded by the comforting darkness and in the safety of a fantasy world.

"Elena. Elena." Stefan shook her. "Wake up."

"Come on." Elena moaned in delight.

"Elena." He said in a louder voice and she finally awoke.

At first, she looked at her boyfriend as if she hadn't recognized him, before it all came back to her. She was disturbed by the difference of her surroundings. The dream had felt eerily _real_.

"What are you doing?" Stefan reprimanded, shaking his head. "You're not even dressed."

Elena looked up at her boyfriend and then at the alarm clock on the nightstand. "Damn."

She scurried across the room and shed her robe to put on a whimsical cocktail dress. The Lockwood family was having their once of month brunch for the founding family members to socialize.

At the Lockwood brunch in the expansive garden, Elena sat toying her with her fancy satin napkin. She signaled the waiter to bring her a Mimosa.

"Another one?" Stefan questioned with an amused expression on his face.

She simply shrugged.

"You do realize that I may have to carry you out." He teased with a small grin.

"Oh, please." She dismissed him.

After that third Mimosa, she was feeling much more light on her feet. Not quite drunk, but more like pleasantly buzzed. It was exactly how she wanted to feel. She needed a little numbness.

"Damon! There you are." Sheriff Forbes greeted in appreciation, standing up from her chair to hug him.

"I was wondering where you were." Carol said batting her eyelashes. "You're never this late."

"My apologies." Damon said with a little too much zest. His eyes landed on Stefan and Elena sitting on the left side of the tent. He excused himself to join their table.

* * *

><p>The boys engaged in their usual banter for a few minutes before Elena suddenly announced that she needed help.<p>

"What happened?" The Salvatore brothers asked in unison with worried expressions on their faces.

"I need help with something. Inside. Stefan, come with me. Please." She declared with strange urgency.

"Uh. We'll be right back." Stefan shrugged, leaving Damon at the table. A table of one. It would always be Stefan and Elena _plus_ one. He had accepted his fate years ago, but he'd always love her. He couldn't help it.

Elena grabbed her boyfriend's hand and started picking up the pace. Stefan went along with her shenanigans, of course curious about her problem in question.

Inside the Lockwood mansion, Elena started opening random doors while Stefan was trailing after her.

"Elena, what the hell is going on?" Stefan demanded in confusion.

"Just a second." Elena said as she pulled another door open. It happened to be the wine cellar.

"Come on." She ushered him along.

"Elena, what -" He began to question, but she cut him off with a fierce kiss.

When they pulled apart, he looked dazed.

"Stefan. I need you."

He was about to ask more questions.

"I." She emphasized every syllable and grabbed his hand, taking it up her dress. "Need. You." His hand landed on her soaking wet lace underwear.

Stefan's mouth made an 'o' shape before looking at her incredulously. "Here? Now?" He asked looking around at their surroundings. Her boyfriend could be such a snob about standards sometimes.

"Yes. Now." She nodded in anxiousness and attacked his lips.

It didn't take long for Stefan to give back earnestly. Elena's hands took his face as she continued to kiss him. She let him to go to hastily unbutton the top of his crisply pressed shirt.

With a few shoves in the right direction, Elena wrapped her legs around his waist and they leaned on a large wooden pillar. "Want you." She moaned as his hard length pressed against her hot center.

"Yes, gah. Yes." She whimpered, her head lolling backwards feeling completely filled by him. He was tearing her asunder.

Stefan met her eyes with deep adoration. "I love you."

Elena nodded in satisfaction and agreement. "I love you too."

She vaguely wondered if her back would have marks from the hard wall, but the thought was quickly cast aside with another deep, hard thrust. Her back arched back, desperate to feel even more of him. She needed to be surrounded by him in every possible way.

Elena grounded her hips side to side as oblivion shortly approached. He teased her with deliberately shallow thrusts, leaving her begging for more. Without warning, Stefan just gave her what she desired badly. He hit that spot that made her cry out every time. A soft growl echoed in the cellar as he climaxed after her.

"Ahhh." Elena laughed, taking in their situation. Stefan thought she had never looked sexier than in that moment. Sweat trickled down her face, some of her hair was stuck to her face as evidence of their hasty lovemaking.

Elena sucked in a breath as he pulled out of her. "I need to go… clean up." She said in near disbelief.

"Oh yeah." Stefan nodded, assessing her obvious rumpled state.

Rejoining the brunch crowd in the garden, Stefan sat down by his older brother. Damon scowled, looking away from him. He could smell her all over him. It was practically taunting him. It was painful to be around. He stood up suddenly and dramatically, throwing his napkin on the table.

"Where are you going?" Stefan questioned his rash behavior.

"To find something - more _appetizing_." He replied darkly with a look Stefan knew all too well after over a century of companionship.

* * *

><p>Just as Elena was walking down the hallway which led to the garden, she came face-to-face with Damon.<p>

"Damon." She said breathlessly, slightly startled by his sudden appearance. She'd never get used to his trademark abruptness.

"So that's how it's going to be?" He demanded.

She looked at him blankly at his sudden outrage. They'd barely spoken this entire morning, not counting her dream.

"You'll dream of me, but stay with him." He accused bluntly.

Elena was taken aback by the subject matter before answering in a firm voice. "Let's not." She shook her head, trying to avoid the confrontation at the worst time possible.

"Why won't you admit it?" He asked and tightly grabbed her arms.

"Admit what?" She asked softly looking up at him. She shouldn't have. His eyes would never let her go.

"That I get you hot."

"There's no reason."

"No reason?"

"You obviously already know you do." She answered indigently, trying to keep some pride.

"So now what?" Damon demanded.

"Now… nothing."

"Nothing?" He was getting more angry.

"I think we should stop." She said looking away from him. "Don't come in my dreams anymore. It's becoming too much."

"Then stop taking off your necklace." He countered with a knowing look.

Elena swallowed thickly. "But I don't need protection from you. I trust you." She whispered in a tiny voice.

"Then do it to protect me." He stated in a strained, hurt voice, bringing her into his arms. She kindly accepted his embrace, allowing him this fraction of time. Damon kissed her head and placed his on top of hers.

Stefan's concerned voice shattered their tender stupor. "What happened?"

When they didn't answer, but broke apart, Stefan continued to look appalled by their apparent shared misery. "Oh, no. Who died?"

**[And now we're all alone**  
><strong>Protect me from what I want...<strong>  
><strong>Protect me protect me]<strong>

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**The End**

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><p><em>AN: This was written for Softly_Me's "The Vampire Diaries Threesome/Moresome Comment Ficathon" at LiveJournal. I wrote this for her. Her prompt was a Placebo song and I couldn't resist. Just a quick one-shot. Stefan being a 'snob' came from that time he stopped making out with her in the lakehouse because of a hollow wall (haha). I am working on "You Know I'm Good" and it will be updated this week. **Be Good & Review!**_

_Are any of you interested in spoilers on twitter? I'm undecided. I recently created an account to keep up with misc news._


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